New Beginnings (Charlie Bartlett Fanfic Starring Robert Downey Jr.)

Chapter 11 - Do You Know Anything About Women?

The next morning, and later in the morning due to the snow, Sydney was sitting on the corner of Nathan's desk, one cup of coffee in her hand, another sitting next to her waiting for someone to drink it. After a few minutes, Nathan walked into the room and smiled.

"Oh yeah?" he said, simply.

"Well, I think you may have had something to do with the couple of extra hours of sleep I got this morning, so I wanted to thank you."

"I have superpowers, I suppose. Call me Weather Man." Sydney laughed. "On second thought, don't," he retracted.

"Oh, no, it's out there now." Sydney got up and walked a few steps, then turned to face him again. "In fact, I just might have to let it slip to a student or two and..."

Nathan nearly backed Sydney into the chalkboard. "You do that and I figure out a way to make you do your 'white girl' dance where video equipment is available."

Sydney quickly reconsidered. "Weather Man is no more." She went back to his desk and picked up the paper cup. "Regardless, here you go. I couldn't bear the thought of drinking the stuff they have here today."

"Thank you." Nathan took the cup and looked at Sydney, his eyes bright. "Here's to a shortened day." They toasted their coffee; unaware anyone was watching the current exchange.

"I'm off," Sydney said, putting the back of her free hand to her forehead. "Shakespeare waits for no one. Lunch?"

"Of course."

"Oh. Hi, Susan!" Sydney smiled at the young woman as she passed.

"Hey, teach," Susan smiled back, then entered her father's classroom.

"Hi, honey," Nathan said sweetly. "Everything okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, just wanted to know if you were going home before the dance tonight, but..." Her smile grew. "Dad?" Her voice took on the tone that alerted fathers that their daughters wanted something.

"Uh oh, what's this going to cost me?"

"Nothing at all. I just...I'm kind of wondering why you haven't...you know?" She looked in the direction of Sydney's room.

"What?"

"You guys hang out like, every day, and..."

"Susan..."

"Dad, you haven't even bothered to try dating since she..."

"Let's leave your mother out of this."

"But, Dad," Susan whined.

"Susan, I'm really sort of, um, honored that you care about my personal life, being a teenaged girl and all, but things are more complicated than they are for, say, you and Charlie, and..."

Susan plopped down at one of the desks. "That's crap, Dad! I know you like her."

Nathan sighed and sat down at the desk next to her. "Do you also know that she's just not ready for anything?"

"Do you know anything about women?" Susan laughed. "She was totally flirting with you and..." The bell rang and the conversation ended abruptly. "We'll continue later, Dad."

Flirting? Just then? Never mind Christmas Eve, right? When she all but threw herself...but that was loneliness and...wasn't it? We've written off that whole thing and... Well, last night was certainly...unwilling. Shit...shit, shit, shit...

The day ended, Nathan acting as normally as he could during lunch, and Sydney turned off the lights in her classroom. She stood, looking around for a moment, her mind at ease; it always seemed so peaceful once the fluorescents were out and only natural light filled the room.

"Not too late to back out." Nathan's voice came from the doorway.

Sydney turned and smiled. "Are you referring to me or you?"

"I'll go with both of us." He was leaning against the door jam, his messenger bag slung across his chest.

"We went over this already, didn't we? I want to go and you have to. Isn't that right?"

"Eh, something like that." He watched as Sydney approached him, a shade of happiness on her face. "It says a lot about you that you helped them out as much as you did. Teacher participation here is lacking."

She was next to him now. "I enjoyed it. It kept me occupied and," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "it can only look good for me, too."

"Ah, ulterior motives, I knew it!"

She brushed a bit of chalk dust off of her coat. "Well, shame on me for trying to tug on job security."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about." He tilted his head and studied her for a moment. "This is where you belong. You love what you're doing, you're great with the kids, you..." He stopped mid thought and ran his hand through her hair, catching her by surprise. It wasn't as if he hadn't been thinking about her before Susan said anything, quite the contrary, it was just that over the last couple of weeks he was trying to talk himself out of any possibilities. Now he simply didn't see the point in wondering anymore. He leaned in and kissed her. He didn't try to part her lips and he kept it as chaste as he could. "See you tonight." He then simply turned and left.

Sydney stood there for a while half thinking she'd imagined what just happened; then wondering if it did happen if it meant anything...or if they were crossing into the kind of relationship she already had with two other men. A kiss from Arlen or now, even David, meant nothing more than "we care about each other and are beyond hugging, but nothing will ever happen here." Sure, she found herself thinking about Nathan often. Yes, there had been the occasional "naughty" dream, but wasn't all of that because she was lonely and a little self-pitying since John's rejection?

Finally accepting what she had so desperately been trying to ignore, her brain and her heart made the connection. She truly had wanted to be more than friends for a while. Her voice echoed Nathan's thoughts from earlier in the day. "Shit."